


Maps and Hijinks

by MaraMcGregor



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Backstory, Comedy, F/M, Humor, Pre-Marauders Era, magical theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 11:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/638679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaraMcGregor/pseuds/MaraMcGregor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground." - Albus Dumbledore. The back story on just how Dumbledore ended up with this crazy scar mentioned in the first chapter of Sorcerer's Stone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maps and Hijinks

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; they belong only to the genius of Ms. Rowling.

There was nothing to do. Arthur Weasley had finished all of his homework for the rest of the week and it was only Wednesday. He pulled out his Muggle Studies textbook and continued to read ahead. But, this evening, it just was not holding his interest anymore.

 

The fire in the Gryffindor Common Room was burning brightly. All of the lower years were frantically working away, trying to get caught up. It was freezing outside; and the wind was howling around the tower. No one was crazy enough to venture out onto the Grounds, not even the Prewett twins. Arthur saw them sneak out of the tower half an hour ago with their tell-tale identical grins. It was a sure sign that they were going to be in detention for the rest of the week with whatever they were planning.

 

Molly, his darling Molly, had seen the same look and quickly left with her best friends to the Library. After years of trying to stop them from getting into trouble, she had given up this year, in favor of saving herself the migraine and the time wasted on a pointless pursuit.

 

Arthur looked back through his bag, hoping to find anything that might strike his interest. Eventually, he settled on his Charms book and flipped to the Self-Updating Charms section. The theory was intense. The space incorporated had to be limited, like the self-updating version of Hogwarts, a History was limited to the grounds of Hogwarts. Of course, the spell also had to be anchored to a Master copy; it was far too taxing to continuously cast the spell on each book. So, the preparation of the Master copy had to be precise and it had to be kept well stored. Once the initial spell was cast over the area and the Master, then a Link-Me Charm could be applied to each consecutive copy to be made, so that every time the Master updated, the change would filter down to the others.

 

It was a fascinating concept; one that Arthur felt should be implemented better and more often. If he could show the Ministry how rapidly the Muggles were advancing, then maybe they would realize that Muggles were ingenious enough to solve complex problems in an entirely different way from Wizards. The Muggles deserved respect. After all, they were fellow human beings.

 

The problem was that it was impossible to make a self-updating anything about general concepts such as technological advances in the Muggle World because the limiting factor was too large. He would also have to choose something he would have ready access to, which was a near impossibility, considering where he lived and that Hogwarts was in a very remote part of Scotland.

 

The redhead chewed on the end of his quill as he stared into the fire, contemplating the problem. He knew he could cast the charms, but he had no idea what would be truly representative of Muggle advancements over the next few decades that would show rapid progression and the ingenuity he knew the Muggles possessed.

 

Arthur jumped as the portrait hole slammed open. The Prewett twins tumbled into the Common Room, laughing hysterically.

 

“She is going to kill you for that!”

 

“Me! I wasn’t the one who made her quill shoot sparks and set her notes on fire.”

 

“No. But, you soaked her, her friends and the whole table when you went to ‘help’ her put it out.”

 

Arthur immediately knew he should not ask, but he could not seem to stop himself, “Who did you get this time?”

 

The twins grinned, “Our dearest, most darling, baby sister, of course!” they chimed in unison.

 

Arthur groaned. “You know that we leave for home next week, right?”

 

Fabian and Gideon nodded.

 

“So, you are aware that she has all week to come up with a plan to get you back while we are away from school; where she won’t get into trouble for it.”

 

The twins looked at each other, concerned.

 

Arthur continued, “And your parents like for you to exit the Hogwarts Express together so that they don’t have to search all over for you at King’s Cross. So, it’s not like you can make a clean getaway to buy yourself any time at the start of Break.”

 

As the twins’ looks became more horrified at the implications of what their fiery tempered younger sister would do to them and the ample opportunity she would have to do it in, Arthur had an epiphany. No longer worried about his dorm mates, he quickly scramble through his bag and found an old, but still mostly intact map of the London Underground.

 

He paid no attention to the yelling in the Common Room as the girls came back from the Library. He was too focused on how to get a self-updating map of, what the Muggles called, “The Tube”. If he remembered correctly, only three years ago, they had installed something called Automatic Ticket Gates. That same year, they had brought in the world’s first Automatic Trains. It was perfect.

 

If he told his parents that he was doing extra credit for his Muggle Studies class, he could have all the time he needed to ride each train to the ends of their lines, then go a bit further out and set the net over an area sure to encompass the most important part of the system.

 

The noise in the Common Room was escalating as the irate girls tore into his friends. However, he refused to get involved. He would not stick up for the twins against his girlfriend; that would be suicide. He had no qualms, though, on comforting her later. Preferably once she vented a little more. An explosion in that corner did cause him to look up from his musings. Not surprisingly, the boys used a smoke bomb to camouflage their escape to the safe haven of the boys’ dormitories.

 

That was his cue to get up and help calm Molly down. He adored her spirit. She was completely impossible to tame. It was what he loved most about her. Her temper was second to none, but so was her ability to care for others. He could see her as the Hogwarts Nurse in the future. Or maybe she would even be in the pediatrics department of St. Mungo’s.

 

Arthur gently wrapped his arm around her wet shoulders. “Come on, Mollywobbles. Let’s get you dry and see if we can save your things.”

 

He just hugged her tighter as she started to cry about the loss of all of her work.

 

* * *

 

Arthur was excited. His parents had given him permission to Apparate home without them, as long as he was home in time for dinner.

 

The train ride home had been blissfully peaceful. He knew it was merely the twins trying to get back into Molly’s favor; and Molly’s satisfaction with whatever devious plot she had concocted to get back at them. But, he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

 

He had used the last few days of school to create the base for his Master copy. He layered charms into the finest parchment he could purchase. It was so covered in spells that he could feel it throb in his hands. He also had a copy of the most recently updated map of the Underground. His mum had been kind enough to get several galleons converted into pounds for him to buy the tickets.

 

The Hogwarts Express came to a halt and his pulse accelerated. Smiling at Molly, he kissed her cheek and bid her farewell. He watched as she looped her arms around her brothers, making them even jumpier than they had been during the entire ride home. Arthur gave them a soft smile and knew he would be receiving several letters during the Break from her about her retaliation. Idly, he wondered if he would have enough money left over from this excursion to buy her something really nice from the Muggle World.

 

Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, he walked through the barrier separating the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. He had never been on this side of the barrier and he was in awe. There were more people than he had ever seen in one spot – except for the Quidditch World Cup.

 

Arthur wandered around the station. According to his map, there had to be at least a couple of tracks that would be part of the Underground system. There were large advertisements in the terminal discussing a new line being installed through King’s Cross that would go all the way from Brixton to Walthamstow Central. Eight new stations would be opened on that line in the next couple of years alone. Then, there were the other signs showing Heathrow Airport. Apparently, they were almost completed with the next terminal and it was going to be connected to an already existing line, making the area he would have to cover significantly larger. The task he set himself seemed to become more daunting by the moment.

 

After aimlessly wandering in the crush of people and luggage, he finally found one of the Automatic Ticket Gates, but not where he was supposed to buy the ticket for the ticket gates. Arthur was beginning to get the idea that this project would take far longer than the few hours he had planned on that day. He found a bench to sit down on and a pencil on the ground that looked dented and chewed on, but serviceable. The redhead pulled out the London Underground map and began planning his trips anew to account for the expansions he had just learned about. After all, the map would be worthless if it was too small to include the actual advancements of the system.

 

He quickly marked where the new lines were going to be on his current map and realized that most of the new construction would fall within his original perimeter. The only border that needed to be redrawn was for Heathrow Airport. It gave him a significant thrill. He had flown on brooms all of his life, but he had never had the opportunity to get close to the metal contraptions that somehow kept dozens of people in the air at the same time and flew just as fast as the modern racing brooms. Maybe he would get lucky and would be able to get close to them on what the Muggles were calling a runway.

 

Sighing, he stopped his day dream and redrew his plan. He would have to take several trains to their ends and then Apparate further to ensure that no expansion would truly go beyond the scope of the spells. He finally decided on nine total stops to get the required markers and charms cast onto the map: Chesham, Leavesden, Epping, Upminster, Plumstead, Lewisham, Croydon, Sutton and Poyle. He only hoped he could finish all of it in the few weeks of Christmas Break.

 

Arthur checked the time and realized that he only had three hours to get any of his project done and scanned the map for two markers that would be on the same colored line so that he would not get too confused with where he needed to be. Finally, he settled on Apparating to Lewisham, finding a suitable spot to place a marker anchor and then taking the two light blue lines to Woolwich Arsenal. From there, he would go to Plumstead and place a marker there, in case the Muggles decided to extend the line.

 

* * *

 

It was three weeks back into the new semester and Arthur was frustrated. He thought he had already accomplished the hard part of his project when he created the actual self-updating map. The Master copy was stunning. One of the stations that had been under construction was completed and it drew a new line and node in. He was exuberant when the node even named itself on his map. Small images of trains buzzed back and forth on the lines between the stations.

 

The problem was making the copies. The charm seemed basic on its own. The only thing he could think of that was potentially causing a problem was the scope of his Master spell. Hogwarts, a History only included major events or changes to the castle and grounds. He knew that secret passages were mostly considered minor adjustments and were not included in the text. The area he was using was significantly larger than Hogwarts’ Grounds, as well. The Link-Me Charm was limited in the breadth of information it could transmit from the original down to the copies. Each time he attempted to make a new copy, it seemed to fizzle on the parchment. After such a successful Break with achieving far more complex magic, it was beyond maddening.

 

Of course, this far back into term, Molly’s brothers were no longer treading carefully around her and were getting back into their pranking ways. The Gryffindor Common Room had become treacherous again, particularly for anyone actually trying to work.

 

Arthur sequestered himself into the darkest corner of the Common Room in an effort to keep attention as far away from him as possible. As an explosion came from the table nearest the fire, he tucked himself further into a Charms book he had checked out from the Restricted Section.

 

The Charm he was currently looking at was called the Protean Charm. It seemed to be far more powerful than the Link-Me Charm and was able to change states according to a Master object. It seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. The redhead checked to make sure Fabian and Gideon were still focused on the mess they had made by the fireplace before attempting the complex charm.

 

Arthur concentrated on the details of the Master Map and pooled his magic before swirling his wand and saying, “Proteus.”

 

As the spell left his wand, he quickly realized that he had overpowered it. The charm hit the spare parchment and quickly began to burn the images into the paper. The heat rising from the table instantly lit the parchment on fire and began to eat into the table. Frantically, Arthur cast, “Aguamenti!”

 

Arthur sat back down and took a deep breath. The table was a loss, there was no way he could save it with a hole burned straight through and no remnants of what used to fill it. Looking to his left, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. All of the spells layered onto the Master copy preserved it from both the fire and the water soaking the table, the bench, the rug and Arthur. He reached out to pick it up, needing the reassurance that it was still there, but all he managed to grab was air.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“How did you manage that impressive fireball future brother-in-law?”

 

Arthur paled. The pyromaniacs had seen the disaster and held his work in their hands. “Give it back,” he raggedly stated.

 

“That’s not very nice, is it Gideon?”

 

“Not very nice at all. The least you could say is please.”

 

Arthur breathed through his mouth and tried to bring his heart rate down. “Please, give me my map back.”

 

“Much better. Unfortunately, you still forgot something.”

 

Trying to retain his patience and hide his fear, Arthur looked up at Fabian. “What?”

 

“Why the original question, of course!”

 

At Arthur’s confused look, Gideon looked at his twin, “I think he needs a bit more Fabian.”

 

With a lopsided grin, Fabian asked, “How did you make that massive fire that makes us want to worship your heretofore unknown destructive talents?”

 

“I overpowered a complicated charm and underestimated its potential side effects.”

 

“What do you think Gideon?”

 

“I think … he’s holding out on the details.”

 

Fabian waved the map in his hand. “I dunno. I just don’t think you deserve this back.” With those parting words, Fabian and Gideon ran through the Common Room and out the door. Arthur leapt after them and got through the portrait of the Fat Lady before she had finished closing.

 

“Fabian, Gideon! What are you doing?! Give me my map back!” Arthur yelled down the hallway.

 

The twins cackled maniacally as they ran around the corner and down the stairs.

 

Arthur panicked, seeing his hard work vanish with the most destructive forces he had ever seen. Quickly, he ran after them.

 

He caught up with them just outside of the gargoyle that led to the Headmaster’s Office.

 

“Come on guys, give it back.” Arthur panted.

 

“Now, now Artie, let’s see if we can help you with your problem,” Gideon stated.

 

The twins unfolded the paper they had commandeered and gaped at the functioning map.

 

“This is some serious magic,” Fabian observed. “Whoa, the little trains even move!”

 

All pretense of joking was put aside as the twins gazed at the busy model of the London Underground.

 

“So, what are you trying to do?”

 

Arthur explained his idea and everything he had done to try to get the copies to work now that he was sure the twins were not going to do something horrific to the map. He gradually grew more confident as the twins began to look at his work in awe.

 

“So, your last attempt to get a copy was the Protean Charm that we saw light the table on fire.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You know, it’s a good thing we are here.”

 

Fabian nodded, agreeing with his brother.

 

Skeptical, Arthur crossed his arms, “Really?”

 

“Oh yes,” Gideon continued. “You see, we just happen to be able to perform said charm and might be willing to help you.”

 

Knowing the twins too well after seven years in the same dormitory, Arthur asked, “And at what cost to me?”

 

Fabian grinned wickedly, “Just a diversion to keep our darling baby sister out of our way for a few hours tomorrow.”

 

“No! I, unlike the pair of you, am not suicidal. I will have absolutely nothing to do with anything you are planning that might affect or upset Molly.” With that, Arthur lunged at the map still in Fabian’s hands.

 

Gideon sighed, “Well how about we do the charm and come up with payment later?”

 

“Aw, getting soft in your old age, brother?”

 

“I really want to see this thing work. And I am sure we can come up with something more profitable with some time to think about it.”

 

Fabian pulled out some parchment from his pocket, “Fair enough.”

 

Gideon began to gracefully swirl his wand between the two pieces paper.

 

Albus Dumbledore emerged from behind the gargoyle and stood directly in front of the twins. “And what are three strapping young lads doing loitering about my office door without coming up to say hello?”

 

“Proteus.”

 

In that moment, Arthur managed to grab the map from Fabian and knocked Gideon’s wand arm. The correctly formed spell launched from his wand and struck Dumbledore on his left leg. The Headmaster grabbed his leg at the intense burning sensation and barely muffled a scream as he slumped to the ground in front of his office.

 

The three redheads looked on, horrified.

 

Arthur Weasley was the first to speak, “Sir, are you alright?”

 

With a slightly gnarled hand, Albus Dumbledore lifted up his shining purple and yellow robes above his knee.

 

Taking a close look at their handiwork, Fabian muttered in shock, “Oh look, even the little trains are moving.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I am using the birthdates from the JP Lexicon for Arthur and Molly. If they were both born in 1950, the Arthur’s 7th year would have been 1967. From there I used resources from Wikipedia, the Transport for London Homepage (www.tfl.gov.uk) and the Heathrow Homepage (www.heathrowairport.com) to figure out a general timeline for notable technological advancements and spread of stations up until the year Arthur has his idea. Most of the rest of the landmarks come from gratuitous use of Google Maps.


End file.
